Court Properly Outlawed Prayer Period In School

June 6, 1985

THE GOVERNMENT, through the tax-supported public school system and its teachers, should not be encouraging students to pray in class, even silently. On the business of school prayer, even a moment of silent prayer, the government should be officially silent and neutral.

That is the essence of Tuesday`s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which properly outlawed required daily moments of silence in Alabama schools because they were officially set up as periods of ``meditation or voluntary prayer.``

Justice Sandra Day O`Connor`s concurring opinion states the objectionable nature of the law clearly, saying it ``does more than permit prayer to occur during a moment of silence without interference. It endorses the decision to pray during a moment of silence, and accordingly sponsors a religious exercise.``

The ruling probably affects Florida`s law, which also says that local school boards may provide a period up to two minutes each day ``for the purpose of silent prayer or meditation . . . ``

Opponents of the ruling can take heart from the notion that the court has not and cannot make true voluntary prayer in the schools unconstitutional.

Any child who wishes to pray in school, on his or her own initiative, can do so. All that is necessary is to find a brief moment in class, a study hall, the lunchroom, the playground or even in the hallways to say a silent prayer or even say it aloud, providing it does not disrupt others.

The only impact of the court ruling is to prohibit officially government- sanctioned moments of silence, if specifically designed in part for prayer.

In making its ruling, the court split constitutional hairs exceedingly fine, although in the end it split them correctly. Admittedly, government-encouraged silent prayer is a far cry from a government-required vocal prayer or an official government religion, but the same objections apply:

Public school students should not be subjected in any way to either a requirement or an encouragement that they engage in prayer or any other religious practice. That duty must be the exclusive domain of parents and religious leaders.

State legislators and School Board members who wish to continue the practice of a moment of silence each day, without Supreme Court objection, can easily do so by amending their laws and rules to remove any reference to prayer.